Ripples
by Watermalone
Summary: "In chaos theory, it is often postulated that even the slightest deviations in initial conditions can cause the most drastic differences in a latter state. By slightly modifying the variables in a highly sensitive and large scale system, we create a set of infinite different possibilities, despite being of finite length."
1. When We First Met (Part 1)

**And in the dead of night, I arose. A zombie, devoid of life and purpose with tunnel vision for one thing and one thing only…** _ **EXAAAAAMMMMS!**_

 **Heya folks it's Watermalone and I am super glad to be back!**

 **As anyone who read my last update for** _ **Silhouettes**_ **may know, today marks the start of this brand new project. Luckily, what with my extremely busy schedule, I've managed to scrounge up enough time and effort to finish my writing quota for the month and so this story is gonna be coming out rapid fire for the next five weeks!**

 **I realize my intros are long and boring but one thing I must mention is a huge thank you to a certain writer who has agreed to collaborate with me on this project, correcting my mistakes and even pitching a few lines of his own! Here's to a good friend, an amazingly talented writer, and now my co-author, Mr. EVAunit42!**

 **Quick synopsis if you wanted to know, this project centers around a certain concept, described in the summary you probably read (right?). More on that later, but as of now, you should know that this is an Alternate Universe (AU) story that follows Star and Marco as just people. No magic, no interdimensional travel, no (fictional) monsters. But don't let that deter you. This is more or less just for your reading pleasure and so all of these stories aren't going to be completely related, but rather one-shots like journal entries depicting certain important events in their lives.**

 **I realize that wasn't as quick as you probably hoped for, but nonetheless, without further ado, I present a new wavefront propagation across the waters of time, yes, a brand new Ripple. Hope you all enjoy!**

 **You guys don't even read the disclaimer... who the heck am I even telling that I don't own SVTFOE?**

* * *

 _"NO STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HIM! PLEASE! STOP!"_

* * *

The little girl screamed at the two boys, tears rushing down her cheeks like waterfalls, mixing the salt of fear with the the fresh raindrops that dotted her face.

But they didn't listen. Instead they continued, deafened by their own pure hatred, relentlessly assaulting the small mass that lay whimpering beneath them.

She struggled to fight back, he didn't deserve to suffer her punishment! But all her effort was in vain, a stronger pair of hands chained her to the background, the iron grip mercilessly constraining her arms.

And so the little boy continued to endure the flurry of kicks and blows to his abdomen.

Time slowed to a halt as she was forced to watch the horrifying ordeal unfold before her.

Suddenly, she collapsed to the ground, her arms searing in pain from where her captor's hands had left developing cuts and rashes.

"Ha, poor wimp's out. Let's get going Lars."

A loud grunt came in response. Lars, the largest of the three boys and clearly their leader, turned around and walked calmly away from the playground. Stopping before her hunched form, Lars turned around, swung his leg back, and kicked a mound of mud into her face, laughing, before continuing his exit.

The girl coughed and hacked, wiping feverishly at the dirt that tainted her clothing.

She remained, unmoving, for a few minutes, afraid that the gang would come back for an encore. However no one came. They were alone.

Only the soft patter of rain struck the grassy field they lay in, drenching their forms in an icy cold blanket.

Forcing her weak body up, she staggered her way over to the boy who lay no more than a yard away.

All of a sudden, lightning crackled in the distance, pressuring a yelp from her lungs. Instantly, she dropped to the ground, shivering in fear and cowering beneath her arms.

More rain fell from the sky. The storm was growing.

This was no time to be afraid, she mentally scolded herself. Inhaling deeply, she crawled towards the motionless body lying face first in the dirt.

Shakily, she grasped his shoulder and flipped his body so he no longer faced downward. She gasped upon seeing his face up close. His face was dirtied and bruised, mud littered his cheeks and his right eye was beginning to show signs of swelling. A stream of blood, as red as his hoodie, dripped from his nose.

He was definitely unconscious.

Gulping down a lump in her throat, she reached for his hands, tightly gripping them as she struggled with all her might to drag him towards the playground, in hopes of being sheltered from the rain.

She grunted and groaned in frustration, only managing to bring the two of them a couple of feet further, the slippery floor and fatigue making it increasingly difficult to keep the pair moving.

There was a flash of light followed closely by a thunderous roar in the sky, shaking the heavens above so violently it sounded as if the sky itself was falling upon them.

"AH!" The sudden jolt caused her to lose her balance and fall backwards onto the ground, releasing the injured boy's arms.

Rolling over, her lip began to tremble, her eyes watering with tears, threatening to spill over.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't do _anything_ _right._ If it weren't for her, this small hero needn't have stepped in to try save her. If it weren't for her, he would be safe. If it weren't for her, those tormentors would have still been on the prowl for new prey.

Always scared.

Always clumsy.

Always interfering.

Always weak.

Always... _worthless_...

The girl sighed a breath. Reaching to the base of her throat she clutched a small pendant that dangled around her neck.

A little golden butterfly.

With fierce determination in her eyes, she willed herself to stand up. Once again gathering the boy's arms in her own, she gave a mighty huff, and continued hauling the limp body towards safety.

Left, right. Left, right. _Left... Right..._ The chanting did not cease in her mind. All her remaining strength had been collected and focused onto this one task. She could do this. _She had to do this._

The girl could feel the crunch of gravel beneath her feet. So close... This was the home stretch!

She was exhausted. There was little to no energy left in her body, the finish line seemingly further than it had been mere moments before. The sheer force of nature was beginning to overpower what little strength she had to continue.

Yet she trudged onwards. They were almost there! Just inches away was the underbelly of the playground. A small cove structured by wooden and metal beams, where children often sought refuge during a game of hide and seek, or from teachers during recess.

She made it. Almost instantly, she collapsed to the ground. Her mind went dark, the cool gravel soothing her aching muscles.

* * *

A small tickle on her nose woke her up. Groggily, she glanced around, hoping to find any indication of what had happened not too long ago.

Why did she feel so warm?

The small tickling sensation cascaded down to her cheek. Upon further inspection, she noticed it was a strand of red string. The pieces finally fell into place.

She sat up at once. Allowing the somewhat damp red hoodie to fall behind her. She looked around, but she was alone.

The red hoodie.. It was the one the boy wore... Wasn't it?

Picking it up cautiously, she closely examined it. While the fabric had been freely coated in rainwater and dirt, it still felt... oddly soft. Like velvet.

A loud crunch came from behind her, jolting her to attention.

"Did you sleep well?" A small voice asked.

She spun around on her heel. It was him, that boy from earlier. She eyed him curiously.

"Um.. you're staring at me." He shied away his face from her.

This didn't deter her vision from his being. It obviously wasn't that she had never seen boys before. (Even non-cootie infested ones.) There was just something... interesting about him. The way he stood there, a softness in his expression that made her feel comfortable in his presence.

"W-well... My name i-is Marco... Erm... Marco Diaz." He awkwardly stuck his hand in the gap between the two, eyes still refusing to look at her.

The girl stared at this gesture as though it was completely foreign to her. A moment too long had passed.

"O-okay well... I'll be going now... thanks miss..." He turned around.

"It's Star."

He stopped in his tracks, ears perking up upon hearing her speak for the first time.

"Huh-?"

"I said," she took a step forward, still clutching onto his hoodie, "my name is Star."

He turned to face her directly. This was the first time she had studied his face up close. He had a soft, light brown skin color. Something reminiscent of cinnamon or caramel. His dark brown hair, even ruffled and somewhat wily, had a patterned sense to it, parted one side and flowing across the front on the other. His eyes, the left a matching shade of chocolate brown, the right swollen shut and turning a dark purple hue.

"... Star...?"

Her cheeks flared a beet red. "I know it's a dumb name! I don't need you to tell me that!" She threw his hoodie onto the ground and began to stomp her way out of the small hidey hole. Until she felt his hands grab her by the arm.

"NO! That's not what I was going to say!" She huffed angrily at his attempt to stop her, wrenching her arm away painfully, remembering how they were cut and bruised from earlier.

"I was going to say it sounded cool!" She stopped.

"What..? You-"

Marco flushed red, he averted his glance, scared of her intention by that statement.

"I-I mean it sounds like a really... REALLY cool name..."

Star's eyes softened. Perhaps this boy was a bit more than what she had initially thought.

"Y-you like it?" Her heart flooded with warmth.

"Well... yeah... I mean like... I think space is so cool and like there's so many cool planets and galaxies and... well... _Stars_ out there..." He chuckled nervously.

What a dork.

But... a friendly dork.

She felt herself smile. This earned her a grin in return from Marco.

"I wish my name was cool like yours... I just get stuck with _Marco._ " He added distastefully under his breath.

"What's wrong with 'Marco'?" Star inquired earnestly.

"It sounds boring."

Star gleamed devilishly. "Want me to give you a better name?"

This caught Marco's attention. "Like what?"

"We could call you... Laser Unicornitron! Or... Rainbow Heartstomper! Maybe even-" She trailed off, realizing poor Marco's terrified expression.

"Or Bob?"

Marco relaxed a bit, a grin pushing its way up his cheeks.

"Maybe 'Marco' isn't too bad." They giggled simultaneously.

Star bent down to pick up his hoodie, still feeling quite guilty after so violently tossing it onto the floor. Brushing it off, she handed it back to him.

"Sorry about that by the way..." She mumbled, fiddling anxiously with her long blonde hair.

"It's... It's okay." His voice was shaky upon accepting the garment back. He patted off a small patch of mud on one of the sleeves.

Her eyes began watering again. No. It wasn't alright, everything that had happened.. was her fault. Why didn't he hate her? Like everyone else did...

At once he noticed the tears that began forming in her eyes.

"Um.. A-are you okay?"

What was wrong with him? Why did he care more about her? He was the one who got hurt, not her! He should be angry! He should be yelling and screaming and cruel and unforgiving!

And yet...

* * *

 **And yet... that was part one! Obviously plans to continue this have been set in motion (heck I got 4 more chapters lined up). But like I said, you gotta wait until next week to read the conclusion of this one.**

 **On a side note, I have actually drafted up a final copy of the next chapter for** _ **Silhouettes**_ **(shameless promotion is shameless), but I realize it will be a** _ **lot**_ **longer of a story than I anticipated. So I'm still awaiting for the perfect moment to continue it. Which will most likely be after the first five weeks of this story blows over.**

 **Oh! And as always, reviews and comments are deeply appreciated, I realize I'm not as talented as many other writers out there, but I'm thankful for each and every single bit of criticism I receive. With that said, I hope to see you all back here next week for the** _ **stellar**_ **conclusion (see what I did there?) of our humble beginning.**


	2. When We First Met (Part 2)

**I'mjustgonnatalkreallyfastsowecangettoreadingassoonaspossible!**

 **Heya folks it's Watermalone here with part two, as I promised last week!**

 **I was planning on doing review responses but I realized that technically this chapter isn't really done so I'll hold off until next week so I can do one giant combined response section!**

 **Anyways, without further ado, here is the final part of '** _ **When We First Met'.**_ **Read, relax, maybe rate(?), and above all, enjoy!**

 **I'll try to be sneaky and leave out the disclaimer because then you guys will all think I secretly work for Disney on the set of SVTFOE! MUAHAHAHA! (just kidding... Or am I?)**

* * *

 _(A little while ago)_

 _Star sat in the field alone, reading one of her stories again. She gazed into the sky. The clouds were darker, indicative of impending rainfall._

 _Sighing, she closed the book and began to stand up, a large shadow looming overhead._

 _"Hey check it out Lars, looks like we got ourselves a little bookwormy." Star gasped in shock as she turned around to face the massive tub of lard himself._

 _No, not him, not now._

 _Lars was in fourth grade. While that may have sounded harmless to anyone else, everyone knew that he was about as bright and subtle as a sack of hammers. He also hit like one too._

 _A low grunt came from the large boy, a wicked smile plastered his face._

 _One of his followers, a shorter, skinnier boy with long hair draped over his eyes and a beanie on his head, addressed her._

 _"Whatcha got there, huh bookwormy?" He pointed at the gold chain around Star's neck._

 _That was one thing about Lars and his gang of miscreants, they liked to take prizes. To them, bullying was a game. There was a treasure at the end they aimed to possess, and they would, one way or another, take it. Like some sick trophy to show for themselves in malicious pride._

 _Her hand shot to the pendant, attempting to shield it by her heart._

 _"Now now, we can do this one of two ways," the other boy began. Great, the 'ultimatum'. "You can hand it over, or we'll pry it out from your lifeless fingers!"_

 _Her eyes widened in fear. While murder probably wasn't on the table, the possibility of being hurt at all frightened the girl._

 _"N-no." Her voice cracked._

 _The three cackled at her maniacally. They knew she wasn't a threat._

 _"I SAID NO!" She shouted at them furiously, bending down, she grabbed a rock (more so a pebble) and forcefully threw it at their leader._

 _It bounced off Lars' massive body, barely causing him to even flinch._

 _The laughter died immediately, their faces grim._

 _"Oh, we got ourselves a fighter now, huh?" Lars cracked his knuckles in reply. Distant thunder rolled, echoing from the horizon._

 _Star began backing away, evaluating her options. Run? No they were much bigger and faster. Fight? Again, bigger and faster. Negotiate?_

 _She evaluated their dim-witted expressions._

 _Ha, no._

 _Forcing her eyes shut, she opened her mouth and unleashed the loudest scream from deep in her gut. The trio reached for their ears, trying to mute the screeching._

 _Star reopened her eyes. Hoping that scared them off._

 _Nope._

 _"Now you've done it." The boy's voice gruff and dark. He reached to grab her._

 _"HEEEYA!" A small flash of red whizzed before her, connecting with the larger boy's face._

 _It was another, much smaller boy. Possibly her age? Maybe even younger._

 _The long haired boy rubbed his face where he was punched. "Why you little-" He went to grab the child._

 _The boy managed to sidestep the attempt swiftly and with ease. Winding his arm back, he thrust it at the older boy's face again, this time managing to knock him to the ground._

 _"URGH!" His mass collapsed to the ground, grunting in pain._

 _Lars growled deeply. He began to charge at this small boy, fist raised to strike._

 _The red-hooded boy dodged out of the way of the blow successfully, however, he couldn't dodge the third assailant._

 _The other boy, who had remained quiet the entire time, tackled the brash vigilante to the ground._

 _"NO!" Star couldn't help but be compelled to try to save him, urging herself forth, she found herself grabbed by the long haired boy who had recovered from the blow to his cheek._

 _"LET ME GO!" In horrified shock, she watched Lars stride over to the child, and land a direct kick to the stomach causing him to double over in pain._

 _She couldn't discern his cries of pain over her own._

 _Rain pattered the grassy field, providing leeway for the incoming thunderstorm._

* * *

Marco stared at her quizzically. "Are you mad at me again?"

What the heck is with this guy? Did he have the entire day knocked out of his memory?

"N-no." Star began. "Don't you remember what just happened?"

"Um... I woke up, found you sleeping and-"

"YOU GOT BEAT UP BECAUSE OF ME!" Marco flinched, not realizing such a shy voice was capable of being so loud.

"Well... yeah.." He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so..."

"A-and... You don't hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?"

He was either dense, stupid or both. Slowly, she pointed at his eye, now a full deep shade of purple, completely swollen shut.

He reacted by covering it with his own hand.

"Oh that? I dunno... Could be worse..."

"But... Why?"

Marco's eyes diverted from her incredulous gaze. He seemed almost... embarrassed.

"You- you looked like you needed help."

Star felt her cheeks glow. "I... could've handled... myself.." She muttered.

"Well, now you don't have to!" His face gleamed with pride.

Dense, stupid, what next?

"Besides, three against one was kinda unfair."

Math... apparently math was next. This boy was ridiculous.

She rolled her eyes. "So... _Marco Diaz_ ," the name rolled off her tongue with ease. "I've never seen you around before, are you new here?"

He blushed a cute pink, "Y-yeah, me, my mama and my papa just moved in yesterday.."

"Was this your first time out?"

"Yep."

Wow, rough welcome.

"Ahem- so are you going to go to school here?" Mentally, she facepalmed. What kind of question was that? Of course he was.

"Yeah! I'm gonna be going to Echo Creek Academy!" She couldn't help but feel excited at the mention of her school.

"Great! I can show you around! Grade three right?"

"Yep!" He was completely grinning now, blissfully unaware that he was ever in any pain. "Wait… show me around? You mean… you wanna be friends?"

Star was dumbfounded. It wasn't really a question you just throw at people, let alone ones you had just met moments ago in rather, awkward circumstances.

"Y-yeah, I-I guess…"

A moment passed filled with silence.

"Uh... So.. I got- I gotta get going home now..."

A sad look fell upon the boys face. "Oh, well... okay..." He mumbled, staring at his shoes.

Guilt struck Star in the chest like an arrow. "But we can play together again tomorrow?"

His face lit up instantly with that endearing smile. "Yeah sounds great!"

Another hushed pause. Star wasn't sure what to do next. Should she just leave? He wasn't moving. But she couldn't stand anymore of this awkward silence.

In retrospect, it could very well have been a bad idea to leave him there, alone, in fact it could've cost them their friendship entirely, but in truth, Star didn't actually have many friends in school. It's not that she didn't try, it's more or less she didn't really care. Friends came and went, as she learned early in life, and being attached to people was completely foreign to her.

On the other hand, looking into the boy's deep brown… eye… and cute grin, maybe it was worth giving it all a try…

To ensure that he wouldn't be lonely, of course. He _was_ the new kid after all, and so it would only be morally right to help him learn the ropes! Nothing more… obviously…

"Okay BYE!" Star ran from the playground in the direction of her home, her vision focused on the path ahead, preventing herself from looking back.

"Just one friend, right? What could possibly happen?"

The sun lazily dipped beneath the horizon, completely ignorant of all that happened below it's warm gaze as it indicated the end of another day.

* * *

 **Alright then! So I don't really have much else to say here, um... Next chapter is coming out next week as you can imagine... Um thanks for reading... I dunno I got not much else to announce haha!**

 **On that awkward note, I hope you enjoyed this pilot project I got going, I'm planning on keeping it for a** _ **very**_ **long time.**

 **And of course, reviews and comments are deeply appreciated, let me know whether or not you liked or hated anything about my writing and I'll be sure to address such words in my next chapter! I hope to see you all next week for chapter two (for realsies this time!).**


	3. That Time We Broke Into the School

**Coming up with snappy intros is too difficult. I need to save my brain power for finals!**

 **Heya folks it's Watermalone here with the second installment of this little story!**

 **As promised, I will respond to all my awesome reviewers in this update. Again, I'd like to thank each and every person who faved, followed, reviewed or even just read my story, you have no idea how much it means to me!**

 **Onto reviews!**

 **An especial thanks to Mr. EVAunit42: Don't worry about it! To be perfectly frank, I've actually had no time to read let alone review anyone else's work and I feel pretty awful about that haha. Haha glad you liked that little exchange, I kinda enjoyed the idea that Star was originally very wary with regards to establishing connection with Marco. Oh! And not to spoil, but I have many development plans set up for Marco's character in the future.**

 **H. Mae: Thanks so much! Glad you liked it!**

 **project: Um. Please don't brutally murder anyone. Please. Haha no one specifically said that, I'm just rather inexperienced with this whole "writing" thing just because I haven't had much prior exposure to literature in the past. Anyways, glad you liked it! I'll be sure to try to keep this story up to date throughout the holidays for you!**

 **Guest: Well, my story won't exactly swing in the direction of the original storyline, but if you want to check something like that out, I'd highly encourage you to check out EVAunit42's work in** _ **There's always a star and a hoodie**_ **! I forgot which chapters, but they are Star/Sol-centric!**

 **Kieren Wespell: Sorry to say, but this won't be the exact original Daron Nefcy story haha I ship them too hard to make them mortal enemies.**

 **deadshoot12345: Thanks! Haha yes, yes you did.**

 **Lupus Boulevard: Yes, I try so hard to make them adorkable (I am aware I used that word). Haha I'm glad you liked the story nonetheless. And you don't know how much I need to thank you for reviewing my story right now!**

 **Anyways now that that's done with, onto the next chapter! A bit of a heads up, this story isn't following proper continuity, there are time skips to random plot points in the lives of our favorite two protagonists, such as this chapter. And so from here on out, I will specify each section of time along with a quick synopsis** _ **in italicized print prior to the beginning of the story.**_

 _ **Synopsis: (Grade 6) Star and Marco sneak into their school after hours to hunt a certain legendary "treasure".**_

 **Just like that! And now, without further ado, I present chapter two of Ripples. Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Not to spark political debate, but Donald Trump has a better chance of being elected president than I have at owning SVTFOE or anything related to it.**

* * *

" _Of course it matters Marco! If you don't start caring about the little things, then how will you learn to start caring about the big things?"_

* * *

 **Ripples**

Silence reigned over the empty hallways of the school. Echo Creek Academy, normally a busy and bustling freeway of teenage hormones that smelled like overcompensating body spray and uncomfortably powerful flowery perfumes, was now calmed to unfamiliar stillness.

In the soft light of the full moon that shone through the glass doors and windows, a shadow dashed across its pale glow quickly tailed by another.

The hushed silhouettes made quick work of traversing the hallways, dodging obstacles left and right, rounding corners, and sprinting long distances with ease until they finally came to a halt just outside a solid looking wooden door.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" The first voice questioned shakily.

The second voice answered with false confidence that would've fooled anyone but her partner in crime. "Nope! But we're gonna try anyways!"

"But Star, I already told you, it's not that big of a deal! We're going through all this trouble for nothing!"

"And I already told you, Marco, it _is_ a big deal! Besides, this is fun! Wouldn't you agree?"

"Won't be so 'fun' when we get busted…" Marco muttered quietly to himself.

Lucky for Marco, Star hadn't heard that comment as she was too engrossed with the barrier that lay ahead.

"So… What's the brilliant plan now?" Star scanned the door up and down, taking note of the inapparent intricacies and details of a blank sheet of wood.

"Well," she scratched her head, "if my sources are correct-"

"By 'sources' you mean Tasida-?"

" _If my sources are correct,_ Marco" Star interrupted forcefully, "then Mr. Paul should be done cleaning the west wing in exactly..." Star checked her colorfully decorated pink unicorn watch, "..three minutes and fifty-seven seconds."

And that was when the plan would shift into action. According to Star's "informant", the janitor, Mr. Paul, usually did his nightly routine where he would clean the west wing first, and retreat to the supply closet where he would refill on supplies. This provided the pair with a window of opportunity to slip into the small room and wait until he left to clean the east wing.

Inside that closet is where the treasure they so strongly desired lay waiting.

Still, despite the intensive planning and increased credence emanating from his best friend, Marco couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy at the idea of breaking and entering, alongside the little crime called theft. But perhaps that only stemmed from his "Safe Kid" reputation and the constricting morals instilled into him by his parents.

And yet, here he was, a quarter to midnight, hiding in the shadows of a temporarily abandoned school, side-by-side his bestie.

"T-minus two minutes Marco, let's get into position."

He nodded without a second thought. They had already waded into the deep, he might as well see the entire plan through.

The two clambered into separate empty lockers that towered behind them, making sure to close each door silently to avoid disturbing the tranquil atmosphere.

It was strange seeing so much passion, so much determination in Star's eyes. While she wasn't a dull person, she rarely ever held interest for something longer than a few minutes before declaring its purpose a waste and moving onto what was next.

Now, there was a certain fire ablaze in those crystal ocean blue eyes that he was unwilling to deny. Her focus and attention burned with a signature glow that he had long ago recognized was for him and him alone.

Even for something as ridiculous and unnecessary as this.

A deep thud, thud, thud reverberated throughout the hallways causing Marco's ears instinctively to perk up.

 _Here we go._

The thumping came to an abrupt stop, directly outside the locker Marco stood in, causing his brain to go into hyperdrive. Sweaty palms, increased heart rate, incoherent thoughts, all a result of the adrenaline that pumped through his veins.

Then, what could only be described as a little jingling replaced the sound of footsteps. Followed by a low creak. And..whistling?

Odd, Mr. Paul must've been listening to some tunes.

 _All the more easier,_ Marco reassured himself. He had difficulty shaking off the stress and anxiety that came with pulling off this kind job, but they were so close, he couldn't afford to be afraid.

Now came the hard part. With any luck, Star could easily pull it off and they'd be home free.

Marco heard the slight creaking of old metal grinding on its axis next to him. The old locker swung open, the rusted hinges allowing for minimal noise.

 _Oh god she's doing it…_

He desperately wanted to peek out the locker to observe her progress, but Star had long forewarned him not to, in the event that he could jeopardize the mission by revealing himself.

" _Besides, you're my backup in case I fail!"_

Okay, so those words didn't exactly inspire faith, but Marco had agreed nonetheless. she was long past being convinced of anything otherwise, all he could do was nod and follow.

The plan was rather simple: When Mr. Paul came to retrieve his supplies, Star would sneak into the closet (hopefully) unnoticed. From there, she could search for the shelves and cabinets for the fabled "master key ring".

In fact, the artifact itself wasn't really that impressive nor that legendary. It was just a regular key ring, the only difference being it held every single key ever used by the school, outside or inside, old or new. Along its shiny metal luster, every secret ever to be discovered within the walls of Echo Creek Academy was hung delicately on its surface.

And that was the grand prize that lay ahead of the two. Or rather, a small part of it was.

The plan was foolproof, the steps were easy, and the amount of detail and precaution taken were surprisingly thought out and more than enough.

So why was it that Marco couldn't shake the feeling something was off? Was this too easy? Maybe he was wrong and they simply hadn't reached the hard part yet.

Despite his worries, nothing changed the fact that everything depended solely on Star's success.

Speaking of which, what was taking her so long?

Marco had been so immersed in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that time had begun to slowly slip away. It must've been midnight by now, if not later, and there was still no sign of Star's return.

He knew he shouldn't have panicked. He knew he shouldn't have let his emotions take control, allowing him to act spontaneously.

Which is exactly why he wound up barging through the door, completely ignorant at any possibility of being detected.

" _Star!"_

And if by some magical cue, the girl in question came raining down on him, landing not-so-graciously on his back with a sickening crunch.

"Marco! I told you not to come in!" Of course _she_ was without a scratch.

"Ughhhh…"

"C'mon! Let's go before Mr. Paul comes back!"

Gurgled moans of pain were his only form of response.

Star placed a hand on her hip. "Ugh, do I have to do _everything_ Diaz?"

Grabbing his outstretched arm, she hoisted his limp body up, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, then half-carrying and half-dragging him out of the closet.

Just a minute to regroup. That was all they needed.

"Hey! Who's there!?" A deep, guttural voice rang through the halls.

"Eep!" Star, scared by the sudden and unexpected return of the janitor, dropped Marco, face-first, onto the floor.

Quickly scrambling to recover, she grabbed his arm once more before making a life-or-death dash for the lockers ahead of her, shoving Marco in first, then jumping in herself.

* * *

Mr. Paul's heavy footsteps stung the air in staccato fashion as he made his way towards the janitor's supply closet. Carefully, he grasped the door handle, turning it slowly. Unlocked, still. He swung it open, scanning the room.

There on the floor beside one of the cabinets, was an overturned metal bucket. Perhaps it fell off the shelf? Or perhaps there were intruders…

He glanced over his shoulder at the old rusted metal lockers behind him. In this hallway, none of the lockers had been used in years due to how old and insecure they were. In fact, most of the locks were long since decommissioned and have since been removed. A good hiding spot to the untrained eye.

His breathing slowed as his finger curled around the metal handle, and with a swift flick of his wrist, the door swung open to reveal…

Nothing. Nothing but an empty locker.

He raised an eyebrow in concern for a split moment, before shrugging to himself and sauntering off back to the west wing with a small smirk etched onto his cheeks, whistling a short little melody.

Star couldn't stop her heart from pounding. Had it been any louder it would have sounded like a rock and roll concert inside of the metal coffin she had trapped herself in. For some odd reason, Mr. Paul had only opened one of the lockers, not all of them. Why did he stop at the first one? Did he not truly suspect anything? It didn't matter. They were on the fast track to success now.

She glanced down at her partner in crime.

He seemed equally agitated and anxious, with a hint of fear mixed into his eyes but even she could tell that he was relieved they weren't found out.

Of course, that anxiety could have been of different origin. For example, they were in a _really_ tight and compact locker. Which meant…

Their eyes met for a moment, and they realized how close their faces were. Noses almost touching, breaths within audible distance from one another, so close they could feel the other's racing heartbeats.

And so they did what any other preteen would do.

They burst out of the locker, gasping for air.

"Gross! I could smell your taco breath Diaz!"

"Hey! My mom's tacos are delicious and you know it!"

She pointed a finger to her chin. "True, but you should really chew a mint or something."

"Ughh," Marco rolled his eyes, "whatever. Did you get the key or not?"

Star beamed with pride the moment she remembered the task at hand. Reaching into her small pink cloud purse, she pulled out a massive set of shiny and rusted keys alike, all hooked around a single ring.

"Of course I did! Now, let's go!" With that, she sprinted off towards the main hall, Marco in hot pursuit.

This was the bulk of the plan. Retrieving the treasure. In the main hallway near the administration office sat a chest full of riches and goodies that no student could access without the master key ring.

Past the gymnasium, past the science lab, past the library, the two made their way quickly yet quietly down the slumbering corridors until they reached their destination.

There, once again beneath the soft glow of the moon that shone through the skylight, sat a wooden chest. Old and splintered, it looked rather underwhelming compared to what prizes lay inside.

On the front edge, was a single old fashioned lock, binding together the top cover with the containment vessel.

Star flipped through the keys, eyeing each individual one, carefully ensuring that it wasn't the one to fit the lock.

"Hurry up Star! What if Mr. Paul comes back?"

"Shhh, Marco, I'm trying my best alright?"

Two whole minutes passed until finally:

"Aha! This one!" Star raised her arm in success. Stabbing the silver metal key into the corresponding lock, she gave it a swift turn, which gave off a satisfying 'click', popping the hook of the latch open.

 _This was it!_

Removing the now ineffective lock, the two lifted the lid of the wooden chest, their eyes gleaming with pride and excitement, to reveal the treasure they had worked so hard for.

Inside the box, sat several articles of disgusting smelling gym clothes, a few empty pencil cases, two broken calculators, what looked like a chewed retainer, and a bag of mouldy grapes.

Star thrust her arm gingerly into the mass pile of filth and rummaged around for a few moments.

Her mouth curled into a grin as she lifted up the true treasure of this adventure.

A (somewhat musty smelling) red hoodie.

"Yes!" Marco grabbed the hoodie and hugged it tightly, despite the odd scent secreting from it.

Star couldn't help but smile at seeing her best friend reunited with his favorite possession.

Of course, they weren't finished yet. No, they had to execute the final part of the plan. Destroying the evidence.

Star closed the lid to the lost and found and bolted the lock back into place, as the two calmly strode their way back towards the main doors.

However, a quick stop at the office reception desk allowed Star to slide the master key ring into the mailbox slot.

Marco stared at her in utter disbelief. "That was it? We're not going to return it back to the janitor's closet?"

She shrugged in response. "Meh, no one's gonna find out anyways!"

Star dragged a stunned looking Marco out of the front doors only to be met with the nightly chill autumn breeze.

They walked in complete silence before Marco finally spoke up. "Thanks, Star, you know we didn't have to go through all thi-"

"Upupup!" She pressed a finger to his lips, effectively shushing him. "Say no more, it was fun!"

He rolled his eyes as they continued forward, pushing their way against the cold air.

Marco looked over at Star. She really didn't come prepared for the weather. She only wore one of her signature dresses that only went down to her knees, aside from the colored stockings and boots, along with the standard devil's horn headband. Wasn't she cold?

A slight shiver shook her being the instant the question crossed his mind.

Unzipping his hoodie, he removed the warm red fabric off of his back and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Star stopped, "Marco… aren't you-"

"Upupup!" He mocked, pressing a finger to her lips. "Say no more!"

Star raised an eyebrow, clearly unmoved by his impression of her.

Marco grinned. "It's just a hoodie."

"Yeah but it's _your hoodie._ You know, 'signature red' and all?"

"Mhm, I do like red, and I do like hoodies…" He turned to face her. "Which is why I've got about eleven more back at home."

Star's jaw dropped. In all of her haste to go through with this crazy scheme, she forgot he had the strangest wardrobe.

She shook her head back to reality. "W-well fine! I'm keeping this one then!" She wrapped herself tighter in his clothing. It was odd, the hoodie somehow smelled better than it had before when they removed it from the lost and found.

"Whatever you say, Star." Marco laughed.

After such a crazy night, the two tiredly made their way back home, ready to sleep away the weekend.

* * *

 **Et voilà! Chapter two is complete! A bit longer than I anticipated, but there's some cutsieness to keep you guys sustained haha!**

 **As you could tell, this chapter was meant to be a bit on the silly side, not really serious at all, however, chapter three will be a bit more emotional than this. Not to spoil, but we're gonna rewind a bit in the past.**

 **And of course, that chapter will be up in a week, so stay tuned!**

 **Also, you may have noticed the title of this project finally posted in this chapter. No, it wasn't a mistake, otherwise I wouldn't be commenting on it right now! Haha I have good reason to do so, but I shall not reveal why... yet.**

 **Oh! Before I forget, reviews and comments are always deeply appreciated, I certainly hope you all enjoyed this project far! With that said, see you guys next week for the third installment of** _ **Ripples**_ **!**


	4. His First Birthday Party Here

**Down to the wire on this one here, ladies and gents. It's the bottom of the ninth, two outs and two strik- I mean... I have two exams left haha.**

 **Heya folks it's Watermalone here with another installment of Ripples!**

 **Not much to say after that, so onto reviews!**

 **As always, an especial thanks to EVAunit42: Yay! Good thing you liked it otherwise that'd be really awkward to explain haha.**

 **PROJECT K: Um... Um... Um... N-no? (How'd you find out my secret identity? HOW?) Haha just kidding of course, all joking aside, GolfAlphaMike is singly one of the most talented writers I have ever seen in this community, so if anything, I'm glad you compare my work to such high standards set by him, despite the fact that I don't personally feel quite at that level.**

 **Romantic Sloth: Thank you! Here's hoping you like the next chapter too!**

 **Lupus Boulevard: Haha thanks, and with regards to that whole preteen thing, I didn't want to call them teenagers because that would make them sound too old, they're definitely too old to be called children, and 'early adolescents' didn't exactly roll off the tongue in the heat of the moment. But good eye my dear reader... Good eye... *disappears into shadows***

 **totallyobsessedwithSVTFOE: Haha I've had my fair share of digging through lost and founds as a kid and I can fully say without a doubt, that was probably about as romantic as I could make it. Like... Believe me... I was sugar coating that... they're gross.**

 **Okie dokie onto the chapter! As always, synopsis is posted in these intros explaining a definite time frame to be referenced by, along with a brief summary!**

 _ **Synopsis: (Grade 3) Weeks after Star and Marco had met, Marco holds his first birthday party ever since moving to Echo Creek.**_

 **And without further ado, I present a little bit more emotional installment of Ripples. Hope you all enjoy!**

 _ **Dis**_ **show isn't something I can** _ **claim**_ **...** _ **Er...**_ **See what I did there? Dis... Claim... Er...? Never mind...**

* * *

" _Maybe I'll give it a chance. A shot in the dark, y'know? Besides, he seems pretty nice…?"_

* * *

Star stared at the ornate handle of the red wooden door, clutching the piece of paper close to her heart.

Slowly, she reached towards the doorbell, hand slightly wavering. Her fingertip was mere inches away from the button.

It was so close. It would be so easy to just lean a bit forward and accidentally press it, sending her on a spiraling journey into the future. A dam, filled to the brim with adventure and possibility, threatening to burst at its seams.

Yet, she faltered. Her arm dropped to her side as she stared at her shoes. What was the point? It didn't matter whether or not she went forward with this. And besides, what did this even boy mean to her? Apart from that one fateful day…

She clenched her jaw and balled her fists up in anger. No, not anger. Frustration. But who was she frustrated with? Her mind dove into frantic accusations. She was angry, er- _frustrated_ at Lars and his gang for being giant jerks. At this boy, for saving her. At herself, for being so weak…

Star lifted up her arm and slammed her still clenched fist against the doorbell, a solemn chime rang through the home.

She inhaled deeply, half expecting the door to fly open any second, revealing crowds of people and a gust of random and exotic smells wafting through the doorway.

Instead, she stood there, waiting, in silence.

Star tilted her head quizzically. Perhaps she only imagined that she struck the doorbell. Maybe she had actually reached that sort of level of cowardice where she would even hallucinate these acts of courage.

She was just about ready to spin on her heel and leave when the red door creaked open slightly. Her ears perked up as she tried to maintain posture.

As it turned out, it wasn't required. Behind the small sliver of light that shone through the crack in the doorway, she could make out the figure of a short boy, dressed in a red hoodie. But otherwise, the inside of the house seemed rather too calm and somber for what the occasion should have been.

"H-hi." Star managed to stutter out that much.

The door opened wider, revealing the boy in his entirety, however now, with two figures standing behind him.

"Oh! Marco, is this one of your friends?" The woman's voice was soft and kind, light and happy.

Marco remained unresponsive. He seemed to be in complete shock, as though Star standing before him was just a figment of his imagination.

"Marco, aren't you going to introduce us?" The man's voice was deep and slightly accented, but with equal amounts of kind and jolly undertones.

Star felt beyond confused. What was going on? Was she the first to arrive? Or was no one else…

"Um… My name is Star Butterfly. I-I met Marco a few weeks ago…"

"Well, Star, how about you come in and make yourself at home? We have cake and soda if you would like any." The door, which Marco had latched onto at this point, swung fully open, causing him to trip over and fall.

He quickly recovered and scampered behind his parent's legs.

With the door fully opened, Star took a shaky step into the home, allowing herself to gain a full view of the interior.

It was festively decorated, with an intentional Latino theme to it. Cacti and ferns littered the home, from the staircase on the left, to the corners of the dining room, even atop the mantle of the fireplace. An assortment of painted pictures hung in the comfy looking living room, most of which were completely unrecognizable, but had a wide variety of color and a rather... interesting arrangement.

But what really caught her eye was the dining table. Or the room itself, instead.

Lining the bricks of the arch separating the kitchen and dining hall, was a white banner, scrawled in cursive but colorful paint and splattered with glitter.

 _Happy 8th Birthday Marco Diaz!_

The scene made Star's heart plummet further as she slowly made her way deeper into the home. On the table sat a lone birthday cake; untouched, intact, and drooping from being ignored for too long. The candles that should have been lit with the soft warm glow of flames now looked diminished and weak, with small wisps of smoke still exhaling from the tips.

No one else had come. Marco Diaz, the new kid, the boy who had practically saved her life, had been alone and forgotten on his own birthday.

Wandering his house, Star felt like a phantom, living through the cold nightmares of every child. To feel abandoned, castaway by peers, and unaccepted. Sure he was the new kid, but that didn't mean he deserved this.

Star had remembered the first day of school and how Marco shyly went back and forth from student to student, hesitantly handing out invitations to everyone. The strange looks he got in reply, the awkward exchange of smiles, the false look of promise in their eyes.

And then he approached her.

" _H-hey S-Star… I- er… I'm…"_

What could she do? Say no? Of course not, she wasn't heartless. In fact she was quite thrilled. Not many people really enjoyed Star's company. That wasn't to say she particularly cared, most of the people at ECA were bone-headed losers anyways. But Marco seemed different, and if she was going to make contact with anyone, why not start with him?

" _Your birthday party? Sure, I'd love to!"_

Seeing the look of exasperated relief spread across his lips was absolutely heart warming.

Star just never understood how much it truly meant until now.

"S-so thanks… for um… coming I mean…"

"Huh?" Star turned around to see Marco, still standing by the doorway, unguarded by his parents. "Oh, yeah I-I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Marco turned his head away, appearing to mumble something completely inaudible to himself.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

His cheeks flushed red. "N-no. It's... nothing."

A moment passed in awkward silence.

"Um… if you don't have anything to do, I-I mean unless you do then I guess… never mind…"

Star's eyes widened. "No no no, I don't at all! If you wanted to, y'know, play or something, I think that'd be fun!"

"Really?" He emitted sort of a smile, even though it was difficult to tell. Nonetheless, seeing him at all happy, was sort of… cute. "Well, I've got a bunch of video games upstairs, if you wanna play anything?"

"Hmm…" Star scanned the boy up and down. Surely he didn't have…

"I've got _Ninja Zombie Slayer 3_ , I know it just came out but-"

She grinned at the title. Every boy at school was completely fawning over it, each desperately begging their respective parents to buy it for them.

"Um, yeah sure! Why not?" In truth, Star wasn't really into video games. She preferred reading from her parent's personal library, but one game couldn't hurt, right? Especially if it was to make Marco happy.

"Awesome! Follow me!" Marco quickly dashed up the staircase towards his room, Star, instinctive to follow, placed the piece of paper she had been holding onto this entire time onto the dining table, before pursuing him.

It was a birthday card. Poorly decorated with the subtlety and randomness of a child, but every detail put into it was to the best of her ability.

 _Happy Birthday Marco!_ Had been scribbled across the top with an assortment of coloured markers and then sprayed with glitter. On the inside of the front cover was a lollipop, excessively taped over and over to prevent it from falling out.

But on the right side, was an image of a boy, dressed in a red hoodie, again, poorly drawn, but standing over top a group of larger boys with X's over their eyes, his arms raised in triumph. An arrow pointed to Marco labelled ' _Hero',_ the pile of unconscious bodies labelled ' _Bullies'._

* * *

 **And with that concludes a brand new Ripple. Hopefully you all enjoyed it!**

 **Now for a bit of news, coming this winter break I'm going to be updating my other short story** _ **Silhouettes**_ **again (shameless promotion is shameless), which means this story will be put on pause temporarily. Don't worry, it won't be too soon, after all, there is a certain holiday themed installment I'd like for you all to read... (Gee wonder what holiday that is?) Not to mention the break will only be for as long as I intend to continue the other story.**

 **Of course, as always, reviews and comments are deeply appreciated, I know I've been super busy these past few weeks, but luckily exams are almost done so that means I'll definitely have time to not only do more writing, but get back into the community as well!**


	5. Your First Christmas Home

**Ah winter holidays, the days I'll spend with family and friends, enjoying my social life… IF I HAD ONE!**

 **Sorry, lost the happy but the happy's back! Heya folks it's Watermalone here with the Christmas installment of Ripples!**

 **And as always, a huge thanks to all who read my story, you guys are amazing!**

 **Onto reviews!**

 **Special regards to EVAunit42: Don't worry about it! I honestly didn't expect you to actually write something for me but thanks for the birthday wish nonetheless! Oh and I'm glad you liked that last chapter, I wasn't too sure if the emotional stuff was too much or not.**

 **PROJECT K: Thanks! And to you too Jacob! Lucky you, your personalities actually agree on stuff…**

 **Lupus Boulevard: It was a pretty intense chapter to write, don't worry, I'll try my best not to falter. Oh and with regards to Silhouettes I am continuing the story, only in a slightly different direction now that we have seen Marco's death and backstory. It's new, and it's coming out next week, so hopefully you'll like it!**

 **Smitty Theories: Well… did you cry?**

 **K.S: I certainly will! Thanks!**

 **Romantic Sloth: BRUH. Haha but I'm glad you like it!**

 **Okay so this chapter is a bit long, but I have good reason. And that reason is not staying up until 3:03 in the morning because I lost track of time… okay so it totally is… HERE SYNOPSIS DISTRACTION!**

 _ **Synopsis: 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the town, not a single soul stirred, not even a… actually Star and Marco spend their first Christmas Eve as college freshmen in Echo Creek Mall, in the middle of a snowstorm.**_

 **Haha I couldn't resist to do the thing. Anyways, without further ado, here is my Ripples holiday special! Enjoy!**

 **~All I want for Christmas is…~ RIGHTS TO OWN DISNEY AND SVTFOE! Except I can't…**

* * *

" _But it's just a part of who you are. I don't care for something as small as a gift, I care about you, and that's pretty much it."_

* * *

The wind howled in the blizzard of the cold night. Snow whirled around the sidewalks, piling up to form banks, not long before swiftly being destroyed by another gust.

Tonight was a tremendous freeze over, one that many people were not prepared for. And yet people celebrated the cold, determined to outlive the chill of winter with the festivities of Christmas.

Which was exactly why Star and Marco were walking, blinded by the flurry of snow, towards the Echo Creek Mall, the centre of consumerism in the relatively peaceful town.

"Star! It's too late, I'm pretty sure every shop is closed!"

"No! I'm not letting fate win this one! We are getting in there, and we are getting your present!"

"Star, please! It's below freezing, I can tell you're cold. Let's just go home before the buses shut down for the night too!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"But I already told you, I don't need a present! It's really not that big of a deal!"

"Just shut it Marco! You always say that, every single year!"

Marco stopped. "That's because it's true! I don't know why you insist on dragging us both into the mall at this hour just for something as small as this."

Star turned to face Marco, pouting. "Because _it matters_ alright? Can you just leave it alone for now?"

"Not until you tell me why this is so important to you!"

Star stomped her foot in anger. "Ugh! Whatever! I'm going by myself. You can freeze to death here waiting for an answer for all I care!"

Marco's anger switched to concern. "Star, wait!" But she had already begun to storm her way into the mall.

He finally caught up, grabbing ahold of her arm. "Star! Can you at least tell me what it is we're looking for?"

"For the last time, Diaz, no I can't!" She said rolling her eyes. "This is why I told you not to come with me."

Marco sighed, releasing her. "You know I could never do that…"

After trudging through the seemingly endless empty parking lot, they finally made it to the front doors of the mall. Its tall glass doors stretching high and wide automatically slid open with ease against the freezing temperatures, washing the couple over in a wave of warmth and comfort.

"Hrmmm.." Star chewed her fingernails feverently as she studied the mall directory. "Aha!"

And off she took without another word.

Normally, Marco would chase her down to the ends of the, well, mall, but this was a different matter. Star was just so headstrong, it would probably take a full team of wild horses and a tank to keep her from her goals.

He sighed to himself and sat down on the nearest bench. Despite the circumstances, this was still a trip to the mall, something Marco rather despised. The boring atmosphere, the annoying music playing on constant repeat, the ridiculous chase every person there took to achieve acceptance and social standards of beauty, you name it.

But today, the mall was rather empty. Of course that logically made sense, it was Christmas Eve, after all. And yet this establishment was still open. Probably for last minute stragglers to get their half share of last minute gift shopping done before the actual deadline.

 _6:07PM_

What could Star even be trying to get for his present anyways? They had agreed on price limits so many years back of no more than $20. That didn't mean that they didn't secretly break that promise once in a while, only to pretend that the price had magically dropped below that boundary, but it was a silent agreement that the thought is what mattered the most, not the cost. Even though that was probably the cheesiest holiday saying ever.

Loud metal crackling sounded off behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as the stores around him closed up, one by one.

Then the thought struck him. Had they been too late? What if Star _didn't_ manage to get into the store she wanted and instead had been locked out? His fear, somewhat partitioned for her, was actually more so directed to the possible store owner or perhaps even a last standing employee begging to go home. If Star didn't get what she wanted…

Oh no.

Marco looked around the mall, checking for the possible routes she could've taken. There were three main hallways, each stemming from a central 'core' which sat right below the food court. Approximately 168 stores in the entire mall, and about less than two minutes for Star to go full supernova, pun intended.

But this wasn't a joking matter. Marco evaluated his options, carefully considering which shop she could have visited.

 _I have to think like her._ Quite the ridiculous premise, trying to replicate her thought process given her… unpredictable nature. But luckily, the mall had somewhat of a sense of organization, something even Marco had to agree was rather impressive, and so specific stores had been stacked with others alike it in differing hallways.

First, on the left was the health and medical lane. Drug stores, organic food stores, optometrists, dentists, etc. He would be correct in assuming not that one.

Next was the 'Specialty Retail' aisle, straight down the center. Card stores, hobby shops, luggage and travel, alongside other kiosks for small appliances or products. Hmm possibly, but most likely not.

Marco turned right and dashed down the final path. Clothing, beauty, and accessory hall, also known as every other teenager's paradise. By far the longest of the three, this hallway held (according to name), every shoe, clothes, makeup, jewellery, purse, and fashion item ever conceived.

Every store he passed made his heart drop lower and lower. Each one blocked off with cold aluminum bars, indicative that the day was done.

Still no sign of Star. His heels clicked against the polished ceramic tiles as he delved deeper into the consumer's wasteland, echoing through the grand hallway. To his surprise, however, he couldn't hear anything else aside from his own shortened breath, paced footsteps, and scattered thoughts.

The hallway stretched down as far as the eye could see, if not even farther. His eyes, darting back and forth scanned every nook and cranny for any signs of life, but to no avail. It seemed as if every single soul had simply disappeared.

 _*Ding* "Dear valuable Echo Creek shoppers, the mall is now closed. On behalf of all staff here, thank you and Happy Holidays!" *Ding*_

And with that, any last bit of hope that dimly glowed in his heart had been brutally quashed. This was game over.

"STAR!" There was really no point in trying to be subtle anymore. "THE MALL'S CLOSED, LET'S GO HOME!"

Only his voice rang through the empty corridors, echoing back to him.

Which, on one hand, was kinda good. It meant that the mall was devoid of terrorized screams of a middle aged shop manager or horrified retail worker.

On the other hand… where the heck was she then?

His sprinting slowed to a walk, allowing him to catch his breath.

"Star?" Concern began to grow inside of him, eating away at his gut. She couldn't have disappeared, and it was very unlike her to simply become invisible, let alone ignore his calling.

No. She was avoiding him. And if the last 11 years had taught him anything, it was that whenever Star actively evaded him, it meant something was seriously wrong. Or she was planning a surprise birthday party for him.

Probably not the latter, although a 3 month belated birthday would be quite surprising.

Marco stopped in his tracks. This was the end of the line. Ahead of where he stood were the large glass automatic doors that separated the east entrance from the cold outdoors.

And still no sign of her.

He turned around, gazing at the vast distance he covered in his panicked state. Shop after shop lined the sides of the mall all the way down to the centre of the mall and even further beyond that.

This piqued his curiosity even more. What was it that Star was so anxious for him to receive? Why was this situation of such dire importance?

Surely he was correct in following this trail in the mall right? If he wasn't, well it'd certainly take a lot longer to scan the other two.

As Marco strode back to the main hub of the building, he made silent note of what possible stores she would visit. Ruling out clothes stores due to his obvious attraction of the "red and hoodie-like", shoe stores because those were way beyond their price limits. Nothing flashy, nothing flamboyant, nothing expensive.

Maybe he was wrong in assuming this direction.

One store, however, caught his attention. This wasn't really out of the ordinary, he'd just always wondered about it's placement ever since the first time he had noticed it.

 _Finest Engrave._

Yes, a store that engraved jewelry, antiques, odds and ends, you name it. However, it didn't exactly fit in with the "theme" of it's corresponding section of the mall. Not that it mattered, the owners had full right to place it wherever they pleased. It always just… bothered him.

Luckily, one nice detail he had noticed when he was younger was that there was a small hallway that fell off of the main road meant for mall workers or other maintenance service men to access the deepest, most restricted parts of the infrastructure. Away from mall goers always staring and nosing about at what other people buy, away from parents forcing children to "try so-and-so article of clothing on". Just peace and quiet. Something he remembered showing Star so they could sit there and read together or play card games while the adults took to perusing the aisles.

Something… he showed Star…

The thought snapped into place instantly as he bolted in its direction.

"STAR!" And sure enough, rounding the corner, he gained direct vision of the blonde haired girl, sitting with her knees up to her chin, on the ground where they had always used to be years ago.

Her eyes widened in shock at seeing him, immediately being buried in her arms and coat sleeves.

"L-leave me alone Marco!" Her muffled and clearly shaky voice cried out.

"I've just ran the length of the mall looking for you and now you're avoiding me? C'mon Star, let's just go home."

"No." Yeah, should've seen that coming.

Marco sighed, as he made his way over to sit down next to her.

"Can you at least tell me what was so important? Now that it's all over."

No answer. On one hand, expected. On the other…

"Star, please, I'm being serious. I'm sorry that this didn't work out for you, but I need to know why this is such a huge deal."

Faint, inaudible murmuring came from the thick winter jacket she wore.

"I- um… sorry, what?"

"IT'S BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS CHANGING MARCO!" Tears streaked down her cheeks, eyes filled with despair.

Immediately, Marco slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Another instinct developed after being with her for so long was to be able to detect when she needed a hug.

Now was a little more than obvious.

"Hey hey hey, slow down there." He gently spoke, as though she were a distressed lion. Equally dangerous when upset. "Calm down, and tell me everything when you're ready."

He felt her nod on his chest, however she was still avoiding eye contact. The sniffles eventually died out, and her pace of breath became longer and deeper.

"You know it's the first Christmas since you've been gone, right Marco?"

The question struck him quite hard. "Yeah, can you believe I've been counting down the days before coming home, even before I left?"

"Of course, I remember each time we video chatted, you had to show me you're dumb calendar."

"Heh, and then you'd show me your equally dumb calendar and then we'd cross off one more day together." He closed his eyes and smiled at the fond memories.

"Y-*hic*-yeah."

"So what about it?" His eyes reopened.

"I don't think you know, just… how hard it was… having… y-you…" Her voice quickly became uneasy before dying out completely.

"Gone?"

"Nhnn.." She buried her face into his jacket once more.

It was true. Lot's had changed ever since he moved out to Illinois to pursue a degree in Neuroscience at the University of Chicago. It only felt like moments ago had he and Star first met, their adventures flying away one by one on the wings of time…

Change was hard to accept. Even through the half hearted smiles and the difficult lies of _"Don't worry, this won't affect anything"_ or _"You'll be back soon anyways",_ there was a sense of uneasiness that came with one's leaving and how it displaces the peace of home. Day after day, Marco struggled to adjust being away from his town, not to mention his family, and the one girl he loved the most…

If he ever understood Star the most at any moment. It would be now.

"I… I don't know what to say Star… I'm sorry that I've been gone… it's definitely been hard… for the both of us." A slight pause followed.

"You wanna know what I got you for your Christmas present?"

He looked down at her head, still hiding her face in his jacket.

"Yeah, I kinda do."

"This." Her hand ruffled around within her extremely puffy coat, only to pull out a quite solid looking steel box, roughly the size of a tissue box. Small but dense, when Marco grabbed a hold of it, he questioned how she had managed to conceal it the entire trip to the mall.

Rotating the box in his hand he noticed the metal hinges on the side of the container, alongside the brass handle and combination dial on the front.

"A mini-safe?" He felt a head nod.

"So then why are we here?"

"Because I broke it." Not to speak badly of her, but... of course she did. "I think the axle jammed somewhere inside but when I tried to turn the dial I cracked it off and now I can't open it again."

"But you didn't leave anything in there right?"

"No, but after I broke it I needed a replacement."

"Which is why we're here?"

"No, the safe I got a while ago. But… I brought it here…"

"To be engraved…" He finished.

Marco stared at the small cursive font on the back of the solid metal, carefully etched in the most intricate and beautiful design he had seen. A silvery border in a branched and wavy design contained three simple words:

 _No matter what_

He was completely speechless. Star was neither careless nor clueless when it came to gift exchange, but this was above and beyond standards, even for her.

It really made Marco think about how much all this had affected her.

"You don't have to say anything Marco, I know that you didn't want a gift anyways but-"

"No, I-... I was going to say it's amazing… I love it, Star."

"But it's broken."

"Broken or not doesn't mean there's nothing left to enjoy, and besides, broken things can always be fixed." His hand cupped her chin and raised her reddened eyes to meet his. "Isn't that what we always do? Fix the broken?"

Her expression softened as she felt the tears stop flowing. "Yeah…"

"Then remember that even if it's ever broken that we always come back to fix it right up. _No matter what._ "

Star's lips curled into a sweet smile. Staring into Marco's deep brown eyes, she felt her fears, sadness, and anxiety all melt away. He always knew how to make her feel better, despite how cheesy he could be.

"So can we go home now? I think our parents ar-"

Before he could finish, Star lifted her head and quickly met her lips upon his. Despite how brief it was, the electricity was sharp and sweet.

"Yep, let's go home and get started on that 'fixing'."

For the second time, Marco was quite stunned. He shook his head to return to reality, his cheeks burning red. "You have no idea how much I've missed that." He looked at her with the most dumbfounded expression.

"Mhm, well since I don't have a proper gift for you anymore, I figured that'll have to do!"

"Haha, I'd better go steal myself some mistletoe then and see if I could get a second 'gift'."

"Nope! You're just gonna have to wait until we get home!" Star stood up, and offered an outstretched hand to Marco.

He took it without and second thought and followed in her example, as they made their way towards the east exit.

"You know it's gotta be minus a bagillion degrees out right?"

Marco shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll promise to keep you warm."

Star flicked the lock on the automatic doors, allowing them to slide open fully, and the cold winter chill to force it's way into the warm haven. "You promise?"

Marco lifted the metal safe still within his grasp.

" _No matter what."_

And the two made their way out into the freezing weather.

* * *

 **Right well… a quick few details I wanna cover here about this chapter. First, the reason why Star brought the second safe to the engrave shop was because it was a special design that she wanted replicated like the first that may or may not have been scrapped. Second, she had actually dropped off the replacement safe a bit before this story had taken place and she could only pick it up this date, very late at best due to the limitations of work hours and the huge amount of orders ahead of her, hence why she was too late when they got there. Third, I actually wrote this one without my little elf helper EVAunit42 more or less because I wanted his Christmas present from me to be a Starco chapter.**

 **And there you have it! My first five installment of this story have been completed. Which can only mean one thing:**

 **Silhouettes reboot next Friday!**

 **Yep for all of you who may keep up with that story, this means that next week will be my introduction to a bit of a new idea I'm trying with that story. Think of the first two chapters as prologue and backstory. This is where it gets good. Hopefully!**

 **And as always, reviews and and comments are deeply appreciated, this story has gotten quite a bit further than I originally expected and so I'm rather proud! And I hope to see you all next time in Silhouettes, or whenever this story will become updated again!**

 **Oh and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all who celebrate it!**


	6. Teaching You Your First Video Game

**Agggghajaksnsdjsjajsjcjhfhsnskalaoxjdjcjskkwkskdkdkkdkskajwjd**

… **School.**

 **Heya folks it's Watermalone here, officially dreading the New Year! Oh.. and I have a new installment of** _ **Ripples**_ **as well…**

 ***cough* Reviews! *cough***

 **Especially special regards to EVAunit42: Haha I'm really not awesome. Seriously, you have so many projects that you must attend to, I'll gladly appreciate the thought and let you carry on. As for the chapter, it was sorta rushed in terms of dialogue and plot, but I had long planned the reverse where Marco leaves instead of Star, and tried to work that into his first Christmas back home, but I'm happy you liked it nonetheless!**

 **Smitty Theories: Yes it was too cheesy, but what can I say? The holiday spirit got me good. And yes, you appear to understand the main concept of each chapter, Internet Holmes, however, without revealing too much, I must say I'm concerned with a more… three dimensional approach for the future. And don't worry, that chapter had more than enough "cheese" to go around!**

 **SonicELITE: Woah. You changed your username! Haha alright well anyways, glad you enjoyed the chapter, I tried to make the story relatable. And thanks to you too Jacob!**

 **totallyobsessedwithSVTFOE: Awww, thanks!**

 **Lupus Boulevard: Yes, it was super cheesy, I know. And I admit it was a bit spoilery that they end up together, but before that deters you, I must remind you that the status of a relationship means little compared to the lifetime of experiences with your soulmate. With that in mind, I'll try to keep the good times rollin'!**

 **Alright, enough chatter, synopsis time!**

 _ **Synopsis: (Grade 5) Marco receives a video game as a Christmas present from his family and tries to teach a reluctant Star how to play.**_

 _ **ONE FINAL DETAIL!**_ **I have an important notice concerning the future of this project at the end of this chapter, please, please, please read it over and let me know your thoughts if you get the chance, it would be most appreciated. And I'll give you a virtual cookie. (Virtual Cookie may be subjected to false advertisement)**

 **Good? Good. Without further ado, I present my fifth installment of** _ **Ripples.**_ **For the record, _italicised print outside of quotation marks indicates what Star's thinking._ Hope you all e** **njoy!**

 **.ti ot detaler gnihtyna ro EOFTVS nwo t'nod I (That's a disclaimer if I ever saw one!)**

* * *

" _Seeing him talk like that, it makes me happy. I guess that must be what it's like to feel so wanted."_

* * *

"... to do a triple kick flip combo finisher!"

Hm? Did he say something?

"So, did you get all that?"

Uh oh. _Hurry, say something quick!_

"O-ok, I think I get it…"

Marco's head tilted to the side. "You weren't listening, were you?"

 _Um… Lie! That's it! Just say the last thing you heard and…_

"Of course I was! You said if you press 'those' buttons in 'that' order you can do a… a…"

 _Shoot. What was it again? Triple… killing… fighting… finisher? Something of the sort, right?_

"A multi hit mega punch finisher?" Marco finished.

"Y-yes!" Star stammered. "That was _totally_ what I was going to say!"

His eyes narrowed. "Aha! So you weren't paying attention after all!"

Star felt taken aback. _Darn it! How'd he know?_

"That one is initiated with the combination: A+B+L+Down+A, and with a completely different character." Marco answered flatly.

Star sighed. For the past few hours, Marco had been attempting to convince her of trying the brand new video game he got as a Christmas present, but she just couldn't get the hang of it. Playing games simply wasn't her thing, and it felt like it would never be at this rate.

"Sorry, sorry, I've just… never played any video games before. Can you just go easy on me?"

Now that was a foreign concept to Marco. Go easy on an opponent? Never! One must always show no mercy to those who wish to learn! That was the way Sensei taught him, after all.

But, this was her first time. It would've been quite the long shot for any foes to show him any compassion during his first few bouts.

"Here. Take this controller," Marco said shoving the mass of plastic buttons and joysticks alike into her grasp, "remember the basic controls, and do your best."

"Hmph." Star took the controller begrudgingly. If he wasn't going to show her any mercy, then she was just going to try twice as hard!

Needless to say, she was beat within a matter of seconds.

It all happened so fast! A flurry of kicks and punches on the television, the screen flashing so violently it practically induced shock instantaneously in her unaware mind, and then…

" _K-O, KNOCKOUT!"_

Star's jaw dropped. She hadn't even had a sliver of a chance to realize what was going on before it had ended.

" _Player one, wins!"_

Marco folded his arms, staring back at her, eyes now filled with pride at proving his point.

"See? That's why you pay attention!"

Star shook her head. No! This wasn't over. It may have just been a pointless video game, but she wasn't going to let him best her!

"Again."

Marco was shocked. Again? Hadn't she learned her lesson? Was she still not willing to listen even after such a crushing defeat?

"Wh-what?"

She turned to face him, eyes ablaze in fury.

"You heard me, Diaz, AGAIN!"

Utterly shocked by this sudden change in attitude, he reset the match as quickly as possible, ready for round two.

A series of painfully bright and explosive looking animations later…

" _Player one, wins!"_

This had Star fuming.

"AGAIN!"

Twenty seconds passed.

" _Player one, wins!"_

"AGAAAIN!"

Twenty-two seconds.

"A-GAIN!"

Thirty seconds.

"AGAIN!"

Thirty-seven seconds.

"AGAIN, AGAIN, AGAIN!"

Fifty seconds.

"A-"

"STAR!" Marco shouted, slapping his palm over her mouth. "I think we're done here!"

Star thrust his arm away from her face. "NO! NOT UNTIL. I. WIN."

She was well beyond reasoning, he could tell. What was he to do? Keep beating her until she finally gave up? No, she would go berserk long before that could ever happen and…

He took a quick glance at her fiery expression and recoiled in fear.

And that would be terrifying, to say the least.

Let her win? But what would that prove? Winning is deserved and if she wasn't willing to listen, then how could she demand a win from that?

"Reset the stupid match Marco, or so help me I'll A+B+L+Down+A on your face!"

That gave Marco a brilliant idea.

Mashing buttons on his controller, he quickly reset the match, but with a few minor changes.

"Huh? Who's this guy?"

"It's not a huge difference, just a character I thought you'd like better." Marco replied slyly.

 _What's he playing at?_ She wondered silently to herself. This character sure seemed more menacing than the last; complete with boxing gloves, a downright unrealistic 10-pack of abs, very long hair, and an eye patch.

" _Ready.."_ The announcer voice called from the television.

" _FIGHT!"_

As soon as the fake bell soundtrack played, Star began crunching the buttons and flicking the joysticks in wild directions, just as she did before.

But this time, it was different. Watching her character react to each button press seemed to feel more natural as opposed to the last character she had struggled with.

Dodging blows struck by Marco's character left and right, she expertly drove a high uppercut sending the opponent flying across the stage, only to dive head first at the dazed contender with extreme ferocity and slam a powerful fist to the ground, (unrealistically, again) knocking the enemy upwards into the air, completely helpless.

 _I'm doing it. I'm doing it!_ She gleefully exclaimed in her mind. But this was no time to rejoice, no. It was time to finish him!

Flawlessly recalling the correct order, Star mimicked the sequence perfectly onto the handheld controller.

A+B+L+Down+A

A bright and flashy animation took over the screen, displaying an obnoxious amount of screaming from the fictional characters, and an equally obnoxious amount of squealing from Star herself as she watched with heart's content, the health bar of her opposition drain dramatically until it was completely empty.

" _K-O, KNOCKOUT!"_

She had won.

" _Player two, wins!"_

 _I won!_

Even Marco was quite surprised, only managing to eke out a rather smug grin.

"Hm. Congrats Star, looks like you didn't need my help after all."

Star turned to face her best friend. "And you know what the best part is?"

"What?"

"I beat you SO BAD!" As if on cue, she jumped up with such excitement and energy, dancing wildly around his room, all while taunting him.

"I BEAT MAARCO, I BEAT MAAARCO, NYAH-NYAH NYAH NYAH-NYAAAH!"

Perhaps it was a bit over-the-top, her celebration, but Marco simply sat back and let her dance away, inconspicuously resetting the match once more, this time placing the difficulty of the computer character that she had actually defeated to be level two this time.

"Mhm, well when you're done, 'Your Graciousness', with that lame excuse you call a victory dance, I'll be over here waiting for round two."

"Oh you are _so_ on, Diaz!" She called back, rushing across the room towards her seat with fierce determination emblazoned in her eyes.

Okay, so maybe it was unfair to trick her into pretending she had beat him, taking advantage of both her lack of knowledge about the menu options along with her ignorance due to blind anger, but this was the only way for her to learn. Not to mention, she appeared so happy when she won. It was almost… cute… seeing her like that.

" _Ready…"_

Marco readied his controller, prepared to 'play'.

" _FIGHT!"_

And he began uselessly mashing buttons away again, as though he had been part of the fight at all.

Casting a quick glance to his side, he watched as Star furiously stabbed at the controller in her hands, intent on creating an immaculate repertoire of random key presses and responsive arm flailing.

It made him feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, seeing her with such dire interest in the little things he enjoyed, despite how crazed she could be. But at the same time, it was all he ever really wanted.

Star screamed in delight at her second victory. "WOOHOO! I BEAT YOU _AGAIN!_ "

" _Player two, wins!"_

 _A player two,_ he smiled at the thought. That was truly all he ever wanted.

* * *

 **And there you have it! Installment five is complete!**

 **As you could no doubt tell, this chapter was certainly a lot shorter and a bit more light-hearted than lots of my chapters. On a bit of a side note here, I've realized that an increasing amount of my recent chapters have been rather too serious for my liking. With that said, I have decided to begin to write more silly chapters such as this one to lighten the mood and counterbalance the air of angst.**

 **Due to the influx of serious chapters, I've decided that I may have to take a short break from writing for a while in order to gain some buffer which I lost during my winter holidays where I must shamefully admit I lazed away.**

 **(ACTUAL IMPORTANT STUFF TO READ BELOW)**

 **This leads me to my final point. I'm considering taking requests if you good folks have any. However I've certainly never done this sort of thing and I would like to ask you, the reader, on your opinion regarding this matter. If you would like for me to take requests then give it a thumbs up and leave one in the reviews section (I promise to give you full credit for your suggestion). If not, then I respect that as well and will make a full informed decision prior to my next update.**

 **Thanks, and as always, reviews and comments are deeply appreciated. Bearing in mind my next update will come in a much later date, I hope to hear from lots of you guys soon, and I'll see you all in whatever my sixth installment may be!**


	7. The New Year's Party (Part 1)

**A/N: Hey guys it's Watermalone here, back-ish after a loooong while.**

 **So… Uh yeah, sorry I've been gone for a long time, and stuff… It's been a rough couple months, and it hasn't exactly gotten better yet, but here's hoping that the silver lining comes soon.**

 **Review replies? Sure, why not.**

 **EVAunit42: Haha thanks so much, I never did get to thank you for that birthday present by the way… Hmmm I'll have to make it up somehow… Ah details. Thanks for the support, although I'm not sure if I'll ever exactly get that popular. No game in particular, it was just a mashup of several copyright infringements is all!**

 **SonicELITE: Thanks so much! Well I'll try to get on track with writing again, so no guarantees it'll work out yet.**

 **Jacob: I don't think it'll be an issue considering I'm not that popular haha but solid advice nonetheless!**

 **Lupus Boulevard: Me neither really, but this is sorta how I always imagined it. What? Leave? Now why would she go and do that?**

 **deadshoot12345: You two are certainly lucky little devils, that's for sure!**

 **SOKFACE: Awww thanks! That really means a lot to me! On a side note, I love the idea, pretty vague so it gives me lots of room to work with so hopefully I can give you my best!**

 **Onto the chapter. This one's gonna be a two part-er. I originally wanted this update to come out on New Year's but I never got around to finishing it.**

 _ **Synopsis: Marco throws the New Year's party to end 'em all, but wakes up to an unforseen surprise, with little to no recollection of the night before.**_

 **A minor twist on a classic gag. Enjoy! _(Keep in mind italicised print implies flashback!)_**

 ***This chapter mentions alcohol, reader discretion is advised or whatever.***

* * *

" _What? No, no I could never! I love her too much to ever hurt her in any way."_

* * *

Rays of sunlight poured through the window, setting ablaze the room in its soft warm glow and gently disturbing Marco of his slumber.

Groggily, he forced his eyes open ever so slightly, laying hushed in the peaceful chaos that littered his home.

Head pounding, muscles aching, and throat dry as the Sahara desert, he gazed across his bedroom to see heaps of garbage, clothing, and house items strewn across furniture and the floor alike.

It was scene like no other.

* * *

" _Hey! Great party, Marco!" Jackie approached him manning the punch bowl. "But where's *ahem* you-know-who?" She shot him a sly wink._

" _Oh, Star? Heh, yeah she didn't really wanna come, she's sleeping off a head cold at her place…" Marco shrugged. "But hey! She still wished to see all you guys!"_

" _That's cool." A loud crash sounded off from the kitchen, drawing both of their attention._

" _Yo, Marco! We found this giant pot in your cupboards, can we use it for beer-bobbing?" Justin's voice shouted across the home._

" _Oh shoot. Sorry, Jackie I gotta make sure that they don't destroy anything over there. It was nice seeing you after so long though!"_

" _No worries, 'Safe kid'," Jackie replied with a chuckle, watching Marco sprint off into depths of the crowd, screaming at Justin 'not to scratch the stainless steel'._

* * *

Marco rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes, wishing he hadn't awoken to such a disastrous sight.

He sighed. It couldn't be avoided; the mess, the cleanup duty, the… smell of vomit emanating from the master bathroom… he threw the best reunion party ever, and that was final.

Of course, it would help if he could remember any of the details. For some odd reason, most of the night remained buried within the depths of his subconscious, seemingly avoiding his sense of recollection.

The last thing he remembered was being offered a couple drinks… and, well, a couple turned into a few more, which turned into another few more, which eventually led to a keg stand battle versus Justin.

* * *

" _CHUG, CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!" The crowd chanted wildly as the two furiously drank from the taps of two massive barrels of beer, not even pausing for a breath._

" _GO JUSTIN!" Some random girl cheered in the background for the crowd favourite, assigning Marco as the underdog._

 _He actually wasn't quite sure how he wound up in this competition of the Neanderthals, but a couple glasses in and he seemed to lose a bit more than a couple IQ points._

* * *

Marco found himself smirking slightly at the memory. It sure was a fun time, but hopefully everyone was too drunk to realize how embarrassing he must've acted during the party. Or the fact that he probably lost.

Faintly, in the background, was the sound of an alarm ringing, muffled, yet disturbing the tranquil atmosphere nonetheless.

 _Shoot,_ Marco thought to himself, _I forgot to shut off my alarm._

Rolling over onto his side, Marco reluctantly pushed himself up, allowing his legs to fall down the side of the bed, then immediately froze when the bedsheet shifted slightly beneath him.

He hadn't noticed in his half-hungover, half-sleep deprived state, but while he reminisced on the recent nights events, there was someone sleeping soundly next to him. In his bed.

Dare he look? Slowly, and expecting the worst, Marco twisted himself to face the source of the shuffling.

And saw her short bleach blonde hair, with a turquoise-blue streak falling down the right side.

* * *

" _So… Tell me again what exactly it is that you do?"_

 _Marco set down his drink on the countertop and suppressed a small hiccup before turning back to face Jackie._

" _It's kinda complicated at the moment. I've actually completed the majority of my undergrad, but during the last semester I volunteered to do some research into nanotechnology and its capabilities in precise neurological imaging by increasing ion concentration in the cranial region. Mostly through magnetic resonance and induction."_

 _Jackie raised an eyebrow._

" _Er-... I stare at brains." Marco stated with a grin._

" _Haha don't worry Marco, I'll never understand how doctors do their thing. But I'm happy to see things have been working out for you!" She flashed a genuine smile._

" _Well, how about yourself? What have you been up to the past few years?"_

 _Jackie shrugged. "I couldn't stand school anymore so I dropped out and tried to start up a skateboard shop here in Echo Creek."_

" _Oh! And how's that going?"_

 _Jackie downed the last of her glass, gesturing a hand-teetering motion._

" _Decent, huh? Well I remember you were really good at skateboarding, have you ever thought of giving lessons?" He quickly stopped himself short. Giving career advice… not smooth. "Uh, I mean.. Never mind…"_

" _Nah it's cool. In fact I actually have thought about it, but I can't imagine anyone being interested."_

" _What? Why not? You're amazing at boarding! You're like… The Tony Hawk of Echo Creek!" He lifted his glass to his lips, internally chastising himself once more for being so intrusive._

 _This brought a smile to her face. "You're sweet, y'know that, Marco? Almost makes me wonder why I didn't ask you out back in high school."_

 _Marco immediately choked on his drink. Coughing and sputtering, he tried to regain his breath._

" _Whoa, you good Marco?"_

" _Yeah, *hack* sorry, but… *cough* did… did you know I had a crush on you back when we were kids?"_

 _Jackie nodded. "Yeah, but I used to always imagine you would end up with Star, so I kinda just... let it go. Shame huh?"_

 _Shame didn't even begin to describe what he felt at that moment. Jackie Lynn Thomas, the girl for his dreams for nearly 8 years, the girl he spent night after night fawning over in desperate hopes to one day have a chance with, the girl that built up and destroyed so much of his self esteem, had a crush on him all that time._

* * *

"No." Marco whispered under his breath. "No, no, no, no no no no nooooo."

He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout, he wanted to tear his entire being up into miniscule shreds over and over until there wasn't a slightest hope of reconsolidation.

How could he have let this happen? How could he have been so stupid?

He quietly staggered out into the hallway, pinching himself, begging that this had all been a cruel nightmare. Some big winded misunderstanding, or anything but what it looked like.

What would he tell Star? _Hey beautiful, guess what? I accidently slept with my ex-crush last night in a drunken fit of weakness. So we cool?_

Oh, how he would die an excruciatingly painful death. At least, not unless he took all his belongings, changed his name, moved into the arctic to become an ice fisherman...

No, he had to confess to her directly. He would take whatever consequences as a man, because he knew he deserved it.

Dragging his guilty and regretful self in the direction of his phone, still continuing to blare his muffled alarm, he found himself inside of his main living room, equally, if not, more ruined than his own bedroom.

The mess, however, did not phase him. Instead, he ignored the clutter and garbage and plunged his arm in between the cushions of the couch, and, eventually with difficulty, fished out his phone and quickly muted the volume so as not to disturb the rest of the neighborhood.

He scoffed in annoyance when the screen displayed a minature assortment of animated fireworks and streamers, revealing the words _"Happy New Year"_ in rainbow print behind its mess.

* * *

 **A/N: Like I said, part two will come out after this one, don't worry it's already done.**

 **And as always, reviews and comments are always deeply appreciated, requests are still open for this story, and I hope to see you all next week for the conclusion to this chapter despite the fact that regular updates have still not resumed!**


	8. The New Year's Party (Part 2)

**A/N: Heya folks, Watermalone here, finishing up Chapter 6.**

 **Technically a continuation of last chapter so I'll save any replies until after.**

 **Also, as mentioned in the previous half, this story was written along time ago but never really finished or put up, hence the New Year's party.**

 **Finally, Star and Marco are in their early twenties for this chapter, I apologize for the liberal mention of adult content without much forewarning.**

* * *

" _Three!"_

" _Two!"_

" _One!"_

 _Marco blatantly paid no attention to the wild cheering and powerful thudding of bass-heavy music playing in the background. Instead, his hands fumbled around in his pocket searching for his cellphone._

 _Nowhere to be seen, oddly enough._

 _Frantically, he patted his pockets once, twice, thrice over in desperate hopes of finding where he had left the confounded item._

" _Marco! You're missing all the fun!" Ferguson's voice called to him from amidst the noisy crowd._

 _Marco breathed out in defeat. He must've dropped it sometime between talking with Jackie near the kitchen and helping remove furniture for the grand celebration in the living room. It could be anywhere._

 _Perhaps it was against his better judgement, but Star would surely understand. Besides, she wasn't feeling well enough and deserved rest._

 _He would just have to call her in the morning._

* * *

Marco found himself staring at the screen for a moment in complete silence, contemplating what he must do. He didn't want to tell Star, but at the same time, he could never live with the guilt knowing that he betrayed and destroyed their relationship in such a horrendous manner.

And yet he was just going to call her. How classy.

He opened up Star's contact and pressed the green phone icon immediately.

No point in hesitating, after all. By forcing his own hand, he had no choice but to go down the right path.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three-

" _Mmm morning Marco~~"_ Star's dreamy voice drifted through the receiver.

"H-hey Star. I.. -er um… I-"

" _How was the party?"_

Marco quickly tried to regain his composure. "Uh… G-good… Yeah… It was _fun…_ I guess.. H-how're you feeling?"

" _Aw a lot better now that you asked!"_ She giggled.

"Heh… Good… That's… really good… Um… Hey.."

" _Yeah?"_

"Can you come over? I-..I need to talk to you about something…" He held his breath for a moment.

" _Sure. Miiiight I ask what for?"_ Her tone expressed slight concern.

"I'll tell you when you get here… For now… I need to-"

" _No problemo! I'll be there in a sec!"_

"Wait wait wait! Not now! I'm not-"

 _*BEEP*_

"... ready." He groaned. She was on her way over now. And there was no way for him to clear "the evidence" from the house in that time. Well, not without being an inconsiderate jerk.

No, there was no time for being "considerate". Dashing back down the hallway into his room, he flung his door open wide.

"Hey Jackie! You need to get going, what happened last night wa-"

He looked around the room, showing no evidence of her existence.

"Jackie?" He cautiously stepped around the empty bedroom, but still catching no sight of the girl in question.

Perhaps she left. She might've felt the same guilt and shame and just snuck out. Of course, that would imply she understood exactly what happened the night before, but it would also mean she hadn't even stayed to explain herself.

He sighed. There was no point in dwelling on it. There was approximately 5 minutes before Star could be there and he needed to get his story straight, and his eloquence strong.

 _*Ding-dong*_

Star Butterfly, breaking the laws of physics since 2001.

He slowly made his way to the door, dreading the gap of time that slowly closed between now and the inevitable.

The door creaked open. "Hey, Star.. W-what's up…?"

"Um… _'What's up'_? Diaz, how hammered were you last night? _You_ invited _me_ over, you adorable klutz!"

Now was really not a good time for cute insults. "Uh- s-sorry, yeah… I-I need to tell you something…" Marco scratched the back of his head.

"Okay… Am I allowed in before I freeze to death?"

"Oh, r-right. Yeah, come in…" He quickly sidestepped.

She quickly shed her jacket and plopped onto the couch, bouncing a few times before coming to a rest, revealing she was still in her pajamas.

"Um, Sta-"

"Yeah, pajamas I know, but you said it was important so I booked it over here as quick as I could."

Mentally, he slapped himself. _Of course_ he could have bought himself some extra time.

"So, Marco… What'd you wanna tell me?"

He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from vomiting the words out. Words, along with the rest of his internal organs.

God, he felt awful.

"Marco? Hey Diaz! Helloooo?" He must've been staring into space.

"Erm- sorry. S-so… Yeah… The reason I wanted to talk to you was… Um…"

Footsteps from the hallway made his voice catch.

It couldn't be.

It _shouldn't_ be.

Dear god he was screwed…

"Hey, Marco, you got any Tylenol or something? I got a huuuge headache from last night." Jackie's voice called from across the room, as she tactlessly strode into the living room, staring at her phone while earbuds blasted music into her ears.

His jaw dropped. And _of course_ she was still here.

"Hey Jackie! What are you doing here?" Star gleamed innocently at her.

"Oh! Hey Star! Yeah I just crashed here after the sick party Diaz threw. I was just checking to see if he had any painkillers in his medicine cabinet."

"That's cool. Did you sleep well?"

"Hah, yep I slept _reeeally_ well." She grinned.

"Ooookay!" Marco interjected. "That's enough! Jackie, can you give us a few? I need to talk to Star. _Alone."_ He emphasized the last point heavily.

Her eyes darted between the two. "Ooh. Gotcha. I'll just be going through your kitchen if ya need me." She spun on her heel and left.

Marco pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his jaw. This wasgoing to be _worse_ than he anticipated.

After Jackie had cleared the living room area, Star directed her attention back at Marco.

"So… _aloooone_ huh? Sounds real important."

"Star," his voice became grim, "I… I need you to be serious here. I messed up. Bad. And… and I'd like it if you would just hear me out. Properly."

"Marco? What's wrong? Don't worry, you can tell me everything. I'll always be here to listen." Her radiant smile pierced his heart like a dagger.

That was what scared him the most. After this, who knows if she would stay?

He cleared his throat. "Um… Thanks… Okay, here goes." His eyes closed for a brief moment.

 _Hesitancy is a drug._

He reopened them. "Last night, during the party, I… got a bit too drunk and… well… long story short. I woke up next to Jackie."

Star's expression remained neutral.

Marco continued to speak. "I-I don't know exactly what happened. But all I can say is that I'm beyond ashamed of myself for my actions. I'm-"

His voice caught on the last few words, tripping up his path of words.

And she didn't catch him. Instead intently staring emotionless, expecting more.

"... I'm a-... A fool. An undeserving fool and I shouldn't have taken your trust for granted… I just… Wish if I could go back and-"

"Stop." Her voice was stern and quiet.

His heart shattered instantly. She rarely spoke so dreadfully, let alone the coldness that emanated from her eyes.

"I'm _so…_ sorry Star, I'll let you be on your way then…" He reached for her jacket.

"No." He paused immediately. "That sounds like a terrible offense, Marco. As not only best friends but _girlfriend and boyfriend_. You have violated the boundaries of our trust. I expect some form of recompense."

Marco was absolutely bewildered. 'Recompense'? As in…

"First, I want breakfast in bed, every day for three months."

What.

"Second, I get to keep Mr. Stuffykins _indefinitely._ "

"Star, is all this necessary?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Diaz if you wanna even have the slightest chance of keeping _this,_ " she gestured to herself, "you're going to shut your trap and agree."

He immediately closed his mouth and nodded his head up and down.

"Third, and finally, you have to do… _the thing._ " Her tone became dramatically eerie.

Oh no. She wouldn't.

"What? Star! How can you possibly demand all of this from me? I just laid my heart out on my sleeve for you and you're taking advantage of it? How could you?"

From the depths of the kitchen came Jackie, doubled over, laughed uncontrollably.

"Star! I think this has gone too far." She managed to muster through her fits of giggles.

"What? No! I was going to milk this a _little_ bit more!"

Marco felt his frustration building. "Wha-what? Is this a joke to you guys?"

"Actually," Star turned to face him, "it is. And you're the _'joke-ee'_!"

"Huh? Tha- that's not even a word! Someone tell me what's going on or so help me I'm gonna lose it!"

The girls shared a devious grin. "Want me to show him or you?" Jackie asked.

"Nah I'll do it. I got it saved here on my phone."

"Sick. I gotta get going I got some business to attend to." Opening the coat closet, she put on her jacket and left the home, shutting the door gently on her way out.

"Uh. So explanation? Please?"

Star chuckled to herself. "Oh don't worry Diaz, you'll like this." She quickly pulled out her cell phone and opened a file containing a video one minute and thirty-four seconds long.

"Hit play."

His finger slowly made contact with the screen, causing his being to shake with uncertainty.

The video was shown to be taken by one of the many party patrons, capturing Marco in an embarrassingly drunken state, escorting various visitors around the disastrous home.

" _Uhkay guyyz.. Thanks for.. Uh.. Comin'.. Get home… And stuffzz.. *hic*... Happy birthday… Or whatever it iszz.."_

" _Hey Marco, I don't got a ride home. You think you can spare me a spot on your couch for the night?"_ The camera panned over to Jackie, who also appeared to be a bit red-faced.

" _Y-you.. Dun have a ride home? Well, you can juzt stay… here fur the night…"_

" _Haha awesome, thanks Marco."_ She began to walk over to the couch which had been pushed over to the far end of the living room.

" _Wha…? Nuh-uh. You cun sleep on the bed tunight. Iz cool. I'll take the… the thing."_ He gestured to the sofa shakily.

" _No Marco, I can't... it's your house and-"_

" _Nuhhhhhh. Itz fine."_ He ushered her towards the main hallway, the camera person in pursuit of the action.

He pushed open the door, revealing an equally ravaged bedroom, yet the bed somehow remained well intact.

" _Here ya go…"_ He led her over to the other side of the bed and let her lay down before moving to leave the room.

Jackie sat on the bed and looked back at Marco staggering his way out. _"Hey Marco, you just take the other side, I'll promise not to hog all the covers."_

" _Nuh, I can't… I… Star, y'know? I dun think she'd like.. tha…"_ His words trailed off as he collapsed face first onto the bed sheets.

" _HA! Check it out, Marco's smashed! Star, you got a real keeper here!"_ The camera spun around to reveal Alfonso and Ferguson as the secret filmers, who both flashed a quick smile at the screen before shutting off the recording.

Marco's jaw hung for a moment before he collected up what was left of his sanity.

"Oh."

"Yep!"

"So I never…"

"Mhm!"

"And you're not…"

"Nope!"

There was a pause.

Regaining his composure, he forced the heat in his cheeks back down and cleared his throat.

"Well at least I don't have to do the _thing_ anymore."

"Whaaa? Aww but you agreed!" Star pouted.

"No, I didn't. Although I have to admit, you almost got me." Marco spoke through clenched teeth.

"But I still get to keep Mr. Stuffykins."

"Nuh-uh. Not after what you did, you don't get anything."

"Not even breakfast in bed?" Her lower lip trembled as her eyes widened.

Puppy-dog eyes. _His weakness._

"Fine… One weekend of your choice."

"Two weeks?" Her eyes opened larger.

"... One week. Final offer."

Her expression brightened immediately. "Deal!"

Marco breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

"STARTING NOW! GO MAKE ME SOME NACHOS!"

"Wh-wha? Now? Bu-but I gotta clean the house and buy groceries, n-not to mention I look like a mess, an-"

"Pleeeeeaaaaase?"

Marco sighed. As if he could ever deny the demonic little angel herself.

Just as he started trekking back to his own room, his head began to grow light, the room appeared to spin before his eyes, and, without another word, he made a quick sprint into the washroom, and spilt his guts into the porcelain throne.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it, the end of chapter 6. For all who wish to know, I'm honestly not quite sure when the next update will be coming. Luckily, what with exam season coming up, that means that it very well could be by next month. Hopefully that's not too big of an issue for you all.**

 **And as always, reviews and comments are deeply appreciated, I'm still taking requests by whoever wishes to add to this story in whatever way they can, and I hope to see you all back here again for my next installment. Whenever that'll be.**


	9. Stargazing

" _We're young! Let's just enjoy this time while we can. I don't wanna think about the future, I wanna live_ _the present."_

* * *

Marco removed his glasses and rubbed his eyelids once more. The late night drawl had taken its toll on his mind, nearly forcing him to sleep right upon his keyboard.

"Three down, seven more to go." He sighed.

The computer screen stared blankly back him, only displaying the same array of command prompts and dull coloured windows that were, at this point, seared into the back of his head.

Reaching over to a memo pad on his left and a pen on his right, he crossed off another item on the checklist.

 _UC_

"What's next..?" He mumbled to himself.

No, he stopped himself, this was too much. He had been toiling away since 6 in the evening. 3 was good. 3 was productive.

But, then again, 3 is barely less than a third of the way through. Perhaps if he could finish one more he could lighten the load for the next two days?

Yes. That was a solid plan.

Closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, Marco relaxed his mind to prepare for another hour of questionnaires and essay writing, and tabbed over to the next website in his extremely stuffed up browser.

"Alright Pennsylvania, let's see what you've got."

Just as his eyes narrowed to focus on the bright LED monitor, he was startled by his phone beginning to vibrate in pocket.

" _Space Unicorn~! Soaring through the stars~! Delivering rainbows all aroun-"_

His signature ringtone. Or, at least, it was.

"Hey Star, what's up?"

Years after he dropped the bizarre "ironic" act that he attempted (and failed horrendously), to appeal to his peers, he reverted his ringtone to something more classical. Well, for all his contacts excluding Star who simply found it "too cute" to change.

" _Still awake, Diaz? I was kinda hoping you'd be sleeping by now…"_

"And so you called me? Seems rather self-defeating."

" _... Shut up."_

"Just hurry up and tell me the actual reason why you called so I can get back to being busy."

" _Excuse you, buster! But I'm doing you a favour here!"_

"By distracting me? How is that at all a favour?"

" _Well knowing you, you're probably hunched over your laptop draining hour after hour away in the dark like the anti-social nerd you are."_

"... I'm hanging up."

" _Wha-? No! At least hear me out Marco! I-"_

 _*Beep*_

Marco sighed. Star had once again attempted to interfere with his productivity streak. It's not that he didn't enjoy her company, it was that she didn't know where to draw the line between fun and work.

Shaking his head, he stared back at the daunting online application ahead of him.

Five minutes delayed. Five minutes he may never get back. Five minutes that could cost him possibly that last spot for admission.

Ridiculous. He was actually starting to blame his best friend for something completely ridiculous.

Of course Marco believed it was implausible that his chances of being accepted into this school would be decreased by time over merit, but this was an important matter, something he had to soldier on through, despite all else.

And if "all else" included a quick phone call, then he would soldier on through just the same.

* * *

Time passed quickly, forcing Marco into deeper and more remote thoughts. Minutes transformed into hours, what seemed like one question became ten more. The never ending process was beginning wear his sanity thin.

"OOOOKAY, I've had enough." He muttered. Even his stream of consciousness believed he was losing it.

Standing up, he yawned heavily, spotting the table clock on his desk.

 _12:47AM_

It wasn't even that late, was it? He had stayed much up later before, be it study nights, holiday celebrations, or even… other occasions… and yet he was beyond exhausted.

Sleep? But one more question...

Tired… But so close!

What to do… what to-

" _Space Unicorn~! Soaring through the stars~!"_

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone's ringtone once again.

"What, Star?" It was quite difficult to mask the exasperation in his tone.

" _Ladder."_

His tired eyes shot wide as he rushed towards his room window. "Wait. Now?! It's late and-"

" _I'm not repeating myself again, Marco. Ladder, now."_

 _*Beep*_

Sighing, Marco set down his cell and glanced out at the roof ledge overlooking the street. If Star called "Ladder" there was no arguing with her.

Removing the screen, careful as to not cause such a ruckus so late and disturb his parents, Marco climbed out the window, ensuring to slide the glass pane back into place behind him.

Next up, the Ladder itself. To his right, bolted onto the side of the roof by his own hands (and father's tools), was a wooden box containing a simple rope ladder.

The cold autumn air sent chills down his spine, causing him to shiver every once in awhile.

But the cold wasn't what occupied his mind. What could possibly have happened? It wasn't like Star to call for such measures this late at night unless there actually was an emergency.

After swinging down the rope ladder, Marco reopened his bedroom window and clambered back inside to grab the necessities. Blankets, pillows, two of his softest hoodies, a box of snacks; the standard requirements.

Quickly and efficiently, he dragged himself along with the supplies back outside only to come face to face with the blonde haired girl herself.

"Hey."

It was difficult to distinguish any other features of her at this late of night. Darkness shrouded her face and eyes, leaving only her golden-spun hair shining beneath the dim glow of the moon, its light constantly waning behind the veil of clouds in the midnight sky.

She remained unresponsive to his acknowledgment, only appearing to stare back at him for the longest of moments.

Ignoring the strangeness of her attitude, Marco handed her one of the two red hoodies and began to lay out the heaviest of the two blankets and fluff the pillows, reminding himself to close the window before the house was flooded by drafts of wind.

After it was all complete, he lay himself down on the blanket, completely silent, except for the sound of Marco's hoodie being zipped up to Star's chin.

She quickly followed suit without a word, lying down next to him, whilst staring at the clouds up above.

Breaking the silence, Marco spoke. "Anything you wanna tell me, Star?"

"I'm hungry." She replied monotonously.

Reaching over to the box of goodies on his right, Marco grabbed a bag a chips and tossed them her way.

"Anything else?"

The crackling of the foil bag paused for a moment. "Cold."

Marco grabbed the extra blanket he had brought outside and handed her the outside edge, allowing her to drag it over both of the two, shuffling beneath the warm covers until they were both comfortable.

"Is that all?"

Still looking into the sky, she drew in a deep breath.

"No."

"Then tell me what's going on."

Rolling onto her side, she turned to face him.

It was originally hard to discern beneath the moonlight, but her eyes seemed puffy now, upon closer inspection, and he couldn't shake the feeling that it was all his fault.

"Marco, why do you wanna grow up so fast?"

"Huh?"

What kind of question was that? He certainly wasn't aging faster than anyone else. In a literal sense, that is.

She continued. "I mean, there's so much life left ahead of us, it feels like you're not enjoying what we have now."

"Star, I…"

"You don't have to answer that. I know we're almost adults, I know that someday we're going to have to say some tearful goodbyes but…"

What was going on in her mind? Why the calls? Why the questions? Why now?

"... Why do you want it to happen so soon?"

"So soon…" he whispered, gathering his thoughts, "why do I… No! Star, what? Of course I don't want things to just end, but I have to prepare myself for when it does!"

She sat up, "But Marco! Don't you like our lives now? Aren't you afraid of what it's going to be like? When it's all gone?"

"Yes, I am! Everyone is!" He closed his eyes and paused. "Everyone is afraid, not just you. We just don't deal with it the same way."

Silence reigned after that statement.

Marco sat up, gaze still fixed upon the heavens. "What's this actually about, Star? Tell me for real."

"I…I-" Her voice broke.

He turned in her direction. "We're best friends. We tell each other anything and everything, remember?"

"It's about your university applications."

Confusion filled his mind at her abrupt response. How did she know he was working on them today?

"You're so busy… looking to the future… it feels like you don't wanna live here in the present… with me…" she added with a murmur.

"You don't think I wanna…"

"It's not that I believe you don't, I just wish you would slow down for a minute. All this will be gone one day, and how can you say that you won't miss it?"

Marco was speechless. Was he moving too fast? He was still young but… he was so busy thinking about postsecondary, about career paths, about _the future_.

"I know you don't plan on staying here. And I certainly can't stop you. Maybe there's much more out there for you than for me, and when the time comes, you'll chase those dreams. I hate thinking about that, but I want to forget all of it. Forget that you're gonna leave because I want to enjoy being with you, while you're still here."

So that was it. She knew he was leaving. Beyond all this subtlety she was trying to deal with the fact that he was slowly on his way out, ready to tackle the world without her.

And there he was, being an insensitive jerk.

A few moments passed, allowing all the thoughts and emotions to settle in their minds.

Marco felt Star lay back down. "Look, I'm sorry Marco, I shouldn't have brought you out for this-"

"No…."

Following suit, he set his head back on the pillow and turned to face his best friend.

She stared back at him, her face shielded by a shadowy cover. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean don't be sorry." The words seemed to make him feel lighter at each syllable. "You were right. I have been an antisocial nerd. A blind, careless, and inconsiderate nerd."

"Don't forget rude, compulsive, high-strung…"

"OK I get it-"

"... Measures his fingernails after he cuts them, chews his food 24 times on each side, holds the handrail every time he walks up AND down stairs…" She was counting off her fingers.

Marco rolled his eyes. "Are you done?"

"Hmm." Star put a finger on her chin pretending to be deep in thought. "I'll think of something else eventually."

"Good." Marco sighed. "What I was trying to say was, I don't know how to handle the future, Star. I really don't. I… I guess all this worrying just pushed me to start preparing more. Everything needs to feel perfect because… because…"

"Because you're afraid. Just like everyone else."

Marco swallowed hard. The truth tasted pretty bad. "Yeah. Because I'm afraid, like everyone." His words somewhat echoed into the serene night, followed by complete silence.

He hadn't taken notice before, but behind the clouds, the sky looked absolutely beautiful with the generous amount of celestial bodies painting its dark canvas. The periodic buzzing and chirping of crickets filled his ears, and the occasional cool gust of wind brushed against his cheek gently.

"Hey Marco," Star began. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like… to live somewhere else?"

"Somewhere else?" The sudden change in subject puzzled Marco. "Like Wisconsin?"

Star chuckled. "No, you dimwit. I mean up there," she motioned to the sky. "Someplace… else…"

"Yeah I'm sure one day they'll colonize Mars or something… Although I can't imagine life would be too comfortable early on."

He felt the blankets shift beneath him. "Never mind." Star had rolled over in the opposite direction.

"Wait, no I'm sorry. Tell me what you were thinking."

She sighed deeply before continuing. "I mean. Wouldn't it be great if we could live somewhere different? Somewhere away from all these people… all these responsibilities. A place where we can just be us and no one would force us to be any different… or afraid…"

"I guess… But I doubt a place like that exists, Star."

"I know it doesn't, Marco, I just like to imagine that maybe in a different life, a different world, _a different dimension,_ there's another me and another you, just happy with being us." Her voice started to trail at the end of her sentence.

"Heh, like some kind of… _Fairytale dimension_? Where everything is written by Disney?" Marco smiled feeling Star turn back in his direction. "Maybe in that dimension you're some magical princess who rules over a big kingdom."

"Sure, why not?" Star responded. "And maybe there you're the captain of my royal army."

"Like a bodyguard? I can't imagine you would need me to protect you… If anything you should be my bodyguard."

"Oh? Princess Marco needs _my protection_?"

"Har. Har."

A silent moment fell over the two before Marco finally realized they had long been off topic from what they originally had began talking about, and turned to face Star once more.

"So, you're not upset anym-"

" **ZZZZ-zzzz"**

Just like that, she had fallen asleep once again. Even Marco had to admit it was quite heart-warming, seeing her in a moment as peaceful as this.

"Star? You're snoring again."

" **ZZZ-pbbfthh-zzzz"**

Marco felt himself grin and rolled himself back, staring up at the sky again, leaving the slumbering girl alone.

Judging by the position of the moon, the time must've been well past 1 in the morning. And he was tired.

His eyes slowly shut as he dragged the blanket's corner over his shoulders, and drifted away to sleep, next to his best bestie.

Today had been good. Today he had been productive.


End file.
